BFF
by xozanessaloveox
Summary: Troy and Gabi are best friends. But are secretly in love. Will they admit there love for each other? Or let it all fall to pieces and stay BFFs? Troyella, Chaylor, Zekepay, Jelsi, RyanxOC. T for language and references. OFF HIATUS! YAY!
1. Trailer

**This is my first trailer. Brace yourself.**

**Diclaimer: Alas, I do not own.**

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Note: **Bold: Actions**

Underlined: Talking

_Italics: Narrator_

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_They were best friends._

**Flashes to Troy pushing Gabriella on a playground swing.**

"Higher!" Gabriella squeals.

_But they were secretly in love._

**Flashes to Gabriella and Taylor sitting on a bench.**

"But I really like him, Tay. Really, really. I just don't think he likes me back, that way.

**Flashes to Troy and Chad shooting hoops.**

"Dude, come on, it's so obvious to the rest of us," Chad says.

"Yeah, I guess, but I seriously doubt she likes me back."

_Will they admit their love for each other?_

"Gabs, can I talk to you for a minute?"

_Or will they let it fall to pieces?_

"I don't know if I can do this anymore, Troy."

_Starring..._

_Zac Efron as Troy Bolton._

**Flashes to Troy talking on the phone; smiling.**

_Vanessa Hudgens as Gabriella Montez._

**Flashes to Gabriella reading a note from someone, silently crying.**

_Ashley Tisdale as Sharpay Evans._

**Flashes to Sharpay hugging Gabriella.**

_Lucas Grabeel as Ryan Evans._

**Flashes to Ryan doing the "happy dance."**

_Corbin Bleu as Chad Danforth._

**Flashes to Chad combing out his 'fro.**

_Monique Coleman as Taylor McKessie._

**Flashes to Taylor teaching an equation to the class.**

_Miley Cyrus as Celeste Bolton._

**Flashes to Celeste standing in the doorway of her room.**

_Courtesy of _xozanessaloveox.

**_COMING IN FEBRUARY._**

**_TO A COMPUTER SCREEN NEAR YOU!_**


	2. 1: Chance

**'Kay guys, I know Ive been starting a lot of stories lately, nd haven't been updating them, but I just have so many ideas, it's crazy. REAL crazy. So again, I'm sorry. **

**Troy and Gabi are best friends in this, secretly in love. Will they admit their love? And risk their friendship? Only time will tell.**

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CHAPTER 1- _CHANCE_

_Riiiiiiing Riiiiiing_

The shrill sound of Troy Bolton's dark blue Razr phone jerked him out of his deep slumber. Groaning, he picked up the device and glanced at the caller ID.

_Gabi._

He flipped the phone open.

"Yes, Gabi?" he said drowsily.

"Aww, did I wake the baby up?" asked the sweet voice on the other line.

"As a matter of fact, you did," Troy smirked to himself. Gabriella and he had been best friends since kindergarten. They had met, and instantly clicked.

_Flashback_

_"Mommy, I don't want to," groaned a five year old Gabriella Montez, clinging to her mother's leg. _

_"Sweetie, you have to. Look, see all of those girls over there? I bet you'll be great friends with them," Ms. Montez pointed to a group of girls sitting on a picnic table, all adorned in pink frilly dresses. Gabriella only clung to her mom more._

_"Mommmmmy," she sighed. Anna Montez picked up her daughter and set her on the ground in front of her. She knelt donw to the whining girl and lifted her chin up._

_"Gabi, you have to go. I'll bet you'll love yoru new teacher and make lots of friends," Gabriella nodded at her mother's words and stood up. "That's my Gabi," nna stood up and gathered her things. "I'll pick you up at the end of the day, darling," Anna kissed her daughter's dark, curly hair and left for her car; leaving Gabriella standing there all alone._

_"Hey, where'd you get that dress?" a boy asked, as he walked up to Gabriella. She looked down at her light green playdress, falling just belwo her knees._

_"Mommy got it for me," Gabriella replied, looking down at her black Mary Janes. _

_"Well, um, I think it's pretty," the boy said, also looking at his feet._

_Gabriella smiled at the boy. "You wanna go play in the sandbox?" she asked happily. The boy looked up and nodded._

_As they walked to the sandbox, the boy stuck out his hand. "I'm Troy Bolton." Gabriella took his hand._

_"I'm Gabriella Montez," she shook his ha__nd and they proceeded to the sandbox._

_END FLASHBACK_

"Troy? Troy, Trooooooy," came Gabriella's voice on the other line.Troy snapped his head up.

"Sorry, Brie, kinda zoned out there," Troy replied.

"It's okay, but I was calling to see if you would pick me up a little earlier and maybe grab a cappuccino from Goosewin's?" she aske sweetly.

"Um...yeah, sure, gotta go now, or else I won't be able to get to you in time,see ya later, Brie," Troy said.

"Buh-bye," Gabriella hung up the phone just after Troy did.

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"Gabs!" Troy called from outside on her balcony.

"Wha-" Gabriella stepped out of the adjoining bathroom with a white towel wrapped arouind her body. She smiled and walked over to Troy, obviously forgetting about her current outfit.

"Hey, Troy Boy," Troy just stood there, his mouth hanging open at the beautiful girl in front of him. The towel fell about midway down her thighs, hugging her hips and her breasts perfectly. Her wet, curly locks hung perfectly on her shoulders, framing her beautiful face and bringing out her deep chocolate eyes.

"Troy, what are you staring at?" Gabriella asked cautiously. She still had no idea what Troy was staring at.

"G-Gabs...I...wow..."Troy said, looking away from the girl in front of him, nervously scratching the back of his neck. This was so hard for Troy. He was, in fact, in love with his best friend. He couldn't hide it. Chad bugged him about, and Taylor bugged him about it.

There was so much that he liked about her. Her beautiful smile, perfect teeth, sense of humor, and the way she scrunched up her nose when she read. The way she always could make him feel better, and her soft, chocolate eyes. He loved the way her hips swayed when she walked, and how she managed to look good in everything she wore. Through other people's eyes, she was the freaky math genius. Through his eyes, she was a goddess.

"Troy Bolton..." her voice faded, realizing her current outfit. Blushing deeply, she smiled nervously at the hormonal teen in front of her, and quickly slunk off into her bathroom.

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"Ma, I'm home," Troy called as he walked through the doors of his Cape style house. Upon the peach colored walls hung family portraits of the family, along with cases of trophies from gymnastics, and mostly basketball.

"Hey hon, how was school?" Lucille Bolton asked. Lucille was a tall woman, long arms and legs. Her auburn hair was tied back into a ponytail, and she wore a pair of dark washed jeans and a light green short sleeved blouse, with bare-feet. She walked over to the teenage boy standing in front of him and ruffled his hair.

"Eh, it was okay, Darbus has us loaded on the homework, though," Troy said, "but I was wondering, is Celeste back yet?" Troy's twin sister, Celeste, was like Troy's best friend, after Gabi, of course.

"She's in her room, why?" Lucille asked curiously, as she walked behind vthe granite coutee, opening the fridge.

"Oh, nothing, I just kinda need to talk to her about something," Troy smirked at his mother, and dashed up the carpeted staircase. Walking slowly down the hall, he stopped at a cream colored door, covered in posters of different bands and artists. He lifted his hand and knocked loudly.

"Celeste," Troy called. At once, the door flew open, and a tall girl, a little shorter than Troy, with the same sandy hair stood before him. She wore her hair in a messy bun, and a light blue t shirt covered her top. As bottoms, she wore a pair of light washed jeans, and bunny slippers on her feet. In her ears, were her iPod mini's blue earbuds, and a pair of fake diamond earrings.

"Hey Tee, what's up?" Celeste asked her brother.

"Hey, Cee, I kinda wanted to talk to you about something," he said. Celeste nodded and motioned for Troy to follow her into her room. He followed and sat down on her waterbed. Celeste had had a bad case of arthritis as a child, and the doctor had prescribed a waterbed. She had become so attatched to it, she never gave it up.

"What's up?"

"Um, well, I'm thinking of...you know, maybe asking Gabriella to hang out..."

"As in like, a DATE?" Celeste took the earbuds out of her ears and gave Troy her full attention. Troy thought for a moment, and nodded nervously.

"Wow, that's great, you should totally go for it," Celeste exclaimed.

"Yeah, I know, but I just have this nagging feeling that she won't like me back..."

"Oh my God, Troy. Oh my freaking God," Celeste put her face in her hands and groaned. Troy staed back at his sister curiously.

"What?"

"Are you kidding me, Troy Bolton? Do you really beleive that Gabriella isn't in love with you as well?" Celeste bellowed, standing up. Troy had never seen his twin this mad before. Well, except for the time he ate the last strawberry danish...

"Well, I..." Troy stuttered. Celeste was right. Gabriella always chose him over hrr other girlfriends. She never missed a Friday night movie. She let him do things that even Taylor McKessie couldn't do.

"Celeste, I don't have a chance. I'm too much of a wuss. I don't know what to say," Troy sighed and flopped backward on his sister's waterbed.

"Well, that's what I'm here for, Troy Boy," Celeste stated proudly, closing her bedroom door and mock cracked her knuckles.

"Damn, Celeste, I don't have a chance..."

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**Well, I thought that was kind of cute, hopefully you agreed. I'm more excited about this story than the other ones. I'm not sure why though. Adios, muchachos!! (I hope I used that right)**

**xoxo**

**Gabbei**

**P.S.: I forgot the disclaimer at the begininng, so here it is. Disclaimer: I do not own.**

**P.P.S: Sorry about the minor swear words, I'm trying to keep it rated T, but just a warning, theres probably more on the way. ..xx**


	3. 2: Blush

**OMFG I'm sooo mad. I was already well into writing this chapter when my internet explorer window closed for no reason. I was so mad, I couldn't bring myself to finish writing. So, in advance, I'm sorry if this chappie is bad.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own.**

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_CHAPTER 2- BLUSH_

"Hey, Troy," Gabriella said into the reciever.

"Hey, Gabs," Troy said back. It was a sunny, Staurday morning.

"What's up?" Gabriella asked, twirling her hair around her finger. This was what she always did when she talked to Troy on the phone. He just made her so happy.

"Well, I was wondering if my best friend wanted to swing over to Goosewin's for some coffee or somethin'?" Troy asked.

"Hm, I'm sure I can pencil you in somewhere," Gabriella heard a mock gasp on the other end and giggled, "sure ,what time?"

"Hm, how about I pick you up in about an hour?"

"Sounds liek a plan," Gabriella smiled into the phone and walked into her closet.

"Well, I'll see you in an hour, then."

"Buh-bye, Troy," Gabriella giggled and hung up the phone. _What do I wear?_

After many sessions of trying things on and deciding against them, she decided on a pink Lauren polo, with green embroidery on the chest pocket, and a baby blue zip-up hoodie from Abercrombie and Fitch. For bottoms, she decided on a pair of dark washed boyfriend jeans from American Eagle, and wore white ankle socks and her bright pink tennies. Slipping her tennies on her feet, she walked into the bathroom and opened the medicine cabinet. She pulled out her eyeliner, and applied a thin brown line to the bottom of her eye. Then she pulled out her mascara and coated her lashes once, and put the eye make-up back into the cabinet. Moving things around in the cabinet, she finally spotted her tube of Pink Shimmer lip gloss. After brushing the thick piquid across her already pink lips, she tied her naturally loose, curly hair into a side ponytail so that it fell on her left shoulder. She grabbed her bag, equipped with her phone, lip gloss, tissues, and a mirror, and skipped happily downstairs and sat on the couch.

_Diiiiiing Doooooong_

The doorbell rang and Gabriella excitedly opened the chestnut colored door. Standing on the other side a nervous looking Troy stood with his hands stuffed in his pockets. He looked up and smiled softly at the girl in front of him. She was so naturally beautiful.

"Ready, Freddy?" Troy asked, making an attempt to keep a straight face.

"Wow, you're corny," Gabriella giggled and smacked him lightly on the arm. She skipped to Troy's Mustang and Troy followed suit. She hopped in the car and was already playing with the tuner. After finally settling on a station, her favorite song came on, "Whine Up," by Kat DeLuna. Troy watched as Gabriella bouced up and down in her seat and silently mouthed the words. Where did her get a best friend like her?

"Hey Gab," Troy said.

"Troy, shush, this is my _jam_," Gabriella said. Troy quickly closed his mouth and waited until the song ended.

"What was it you wanted to say?" Gabriella asked, turning of the radio and turning in her seat.

"Well, I was going to tell you that we were here, before I was rudely interrupted," Troy chuckled. Gabirella blushed deeply and looked away.

"Sorry," she said, her cheeks still burning.

"Hey, it's fine, I think it's cute when you blush," _What the hell? Troy Bolton, did you just tell her it was cute when she blushes? Stupid, stupid, stupid!_

"Um, thanks, I guess," Gabriella wrinkled her eyebrows and got out of the car, walking up to the coffee shop in front of them, as Troy followed.

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"What can I get you, today?" asked Zeke Baylor, from behind the counter. Zeke was one of Troy's closest friends, and his family owned the friends' hangout spot.

"Hm, what about an iced cappiccinno?" Gabriella asked, looking up at the wide-spread selection of choices on the menu.

"Okay, and what about you, Troy Boy?" Zeke asked.

Troy looked up at the menu, "ah, I'll have the same, please." Zeke nodded and dismissed the two to a table.

"Gabriella!" called a voice from the door. Gabriella looked up to see her second best friend, Sharpay Evans standing at the door. She wore a sequined multicolored halter top, with a pair of white cargo cropped pants, reaching to about her shins, and turquise patent peep toe heels. On her head, she wore giant white sunglasses, and carried a white canvas handbag.

Gabriella waved at her friend. "Hey, Sharpay," she said when she reached the table.

"Oh my God, why didn't you tell me?" Sharpay asked with a look of shock spread across her face.

Troy and Gabriella exchanged glances. "Um, tell you what?"

"That you were together! Oh, my Gosh! This is so great," Sharpay said.

"Sharpay," Troy interrupted.

"What?"

"We're not together, we're just...here, as friends," Troy seemed to turn very uncomfortable.

"Oh, well, maybe you should get together, I know how much you like each other," Sharpay said, placinjg her manicured hands on her hips.

"Um, Sharpay, Troy's just my friend, um, nothing more," Gabriella said, looking down at her hands. Troy's face fell at this. _I knew it. She just thinks of me as a friend. Well this sucks._

"Yeah, nothing more," Troy added. Gabriella noticed his sadness and took an interest. "What's wrong?" she mouthed. "Nothing," he mouthed back.

Sharpay seemed to notice this too. "Hey, Gab, I'm going to the bathroom. Come with me please," Shapay said sharply. Gabriella nodded and followed Sharpay to the bathroom.

"Oh my God, Gabriella, that was not a smart thing to do!" Sharpay said.

"Why?!" Gabriella asked.

"Because! Troy thinks that you only like him as a friend!" Sharpay yelled.

"Why is that bad?! He doesn't even like me!"

"That's the thing, Gabriella, he does like you! He's freakin' in love with you!" Sharpay yelled.

"Are you kidding me?!" Gabriella asked loudly.

"No! I'm telling the truth! Ho told Chad, who told Jason, who told Kelsi, who told me!"

"Really? Are Jason and Kelsi an item now? 'Cause..." Gabriella asked, trying to change the subject.

"Don't change the subject, Gabriella Montez!"

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_"Are you kidding me?"_

_"No! I'm telling the truth! He told Chad, who told Jason, who told Kelsi, who told me!"_

_"Really? Are Jason and Kelsi an item now? 'Cause..."_

_"Don't change the subject, Gabriella Montez!"_

Where was alll of that yelling coming from? Apparently it was between Gabriella and Sharpay, because Troy oculd her the clinck of Sharpay's bangles and could recognize Gabriella's voice anywhere.

"Troy, my man!" came a voice from the door.

"Hey, man," Troy stood up and gave the boy a 'man-hug.'

"Where's Gabriella? Isn't she usually here with you?"

"Well, yeah, but Sharpay came and took her into the bathroom with her. I heard them yelling just before you came in," Troy replied, wondering what the girls' quarel was about.

"Oh, well I was looking for you and wanted to tell you about this basketball tournament," Chad said, sitting down in Gabriella's seat.

"Cool, tell me about it," Troy replied, sitting back in his seat.

"Well, it's called F.U.K. Basketball and..." Chad trailed off when he saw Troy covering his mouth trying to keep from laughing.

"F.U.K.? what the hell does that stand for?"

"Fundamental United Kingdom Basketball, and Troy, you are a very immature young man," Chad said, sitting up straighter in his chair.

"Yeah okay, I'm immature, I wasn't the one who puit cake frosting in my hair andran around saying 'look! I'm seventy,' to people at Sharpay's fifteenth birthday party," Troy mocked. Chad shook his head.

"Troy Bolton, do you even know me? I've changed," Chad said proudly. Troy rolled his eyes at this. Chad would never change. He would always be the immature one of the group.

"Chad?" Troy asked suddenly.

"What?"

"Have you ever thought of counseling?"

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**Sooo, another chapter done. I thought it was kinda cute, with the F.U.K. humor at the end. I got that from my friend Eloise. Thanks, El!**

R&R please!!

Gabbei..xx


	4. 3: Benifets

**Heeeey, what's up?! Chapter 3 is up!! I hope you all absolutly looove it. I think you'll be quite happy with this chapter, y'all.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own. Never will. **

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_CHAPTER 3- BENIFETS_

"Dude, I really like her though, I can't just ignore her," Chad said to his friend as he took another shot.

"I never said that, I just said play _hard to get," _Jason said as he dribbled into a lay up.

"Screw hard to get, I'm just gonna call her right now," Chad rolled his eyes and plopped down onto the bench. He took out his Sidekick and typed a number. "I'll just send her a text." After about 5 minutes of Chad typing, Jason leaned over his friend's shoulder.

"What did you say?"

"I just asked her if she wanted to go out," Chad shrugged.

"And that took 5 minutes?"

"Yeah, I was tryin' to figure out how to make those weird heart things," Chad shrugged again. His phone beeped. He whipped it out and smiled.

"Dude, what'd she say?!" Jason asked, grabbing his friend by the shoulders.

"Sh-she said yes!" Chad jumped up and down excitedly.

"YAYYYYY!" Jason screamed girlishly. Chad stopped and stared at his friend.

"Dude. Don't."

"Well, I..." Jason was cut off by a fuming Troy storming into the gym.

"What?" Chad asked.

"Gahh!!" Troy yelled and slammed his fist on the bleachers. He sat down and buried his face in his hands.

"Dude, what happened?"

"Luke Harold happened."

Jason and Chad burst out laughing. "Luke Harold, as in Pukey Lukey?" Chad asked through his laughs.

"Dude, what did he do, throw up all over you?" Jason asked. Luke Harold was the grossest kid in all of East High. He had a huge mole on his nose, and always carried around a nasal inhaler.

"No! He asked out Gabriella!" The two teens silenced.

"Dude, what'd she say?" Jason asked for the second time that day.

"She said yes!"

"Why?!"

"I don't know, maybe she's too sweet ot say no!"

_FLASHBACK_

_"Hey Gabriella," Luke said as he walked up to the tenth grader in front of him. _

_"Um, hi...Luke, right?" Gabriella asked, suddenly becoming very uncomfortable._

_"Hey, I really like you, so I wrote you a song," Luke said proudly. Gabriella shrugged and nodded. Luke knelt down on one knee and began to sing._

_"You are my Gabriella, ella, ella, eh, eh, eh_

_You are my Gabriella, ella, ella, eh, eh ,eh_

_Gabriella, ella, ella, eh, eh eh."_

_Luke finished his song and bowed._

_"Wow, um, that was wondeful, and uh, well, it sounded really familiar..."_

_"Yeah, Pihanna is my inspiration."_

_"Don't you mean Rihanna?" Gabriella asked._

_"Oh, right, yes, sorry, I'm an idiot," Luke said as he knocked himself across the head._

_"Uh, huh."_

_"So, I was wondering if you wanted to go out with me?" Luke asked._

_Gabriella was dumbfounded. "Well, er, maybe, but I think...I'll get back to you on that..." she trailed off. She nodded to Luke and swiftly turned on her heel._

"Dude, you don't know if she actually said she'd go out with him, ya know," Jason said matter of factly. "And, why are you so mad about this again?"

Chad rolled his eyes at his friend and smacked him upside the head. "Dude!"

"Ohhh, right..." Jason said, wiggling his eye brows at Troy. Troy groaned and covered his face with his hands.

"Dude, come on, go talk to her and see if she's gonna go out with him," Chad said.

"Yeah, your right, I'm gonna do that," Troy said and got on his feet. He nodded to his friends and bounded out of the gym, only to hear yelling in the girls' bathroom as he passed. Slowing down, he pressed his ear to the door to listen.

_"Are you frickin' kidding me Taylor?! Your just saying you do so that I won't ditch and forget about the Decathalon!"_

_"No, I'm not!"_

_"Yes you are!"_

_"Okay, fine maybe I am, but you can not get a boyfriend! We won't win!"_

_"TAYLOR! I'm ashamed to call you my friend! You've known for so long that I'm in love with him!"_

_"Fine! Be friends with benifets! See if I care!"_

_"I can't be fucking friends with benifets, Tay! I'm freaking in love with my best friend! Troy Bolton won't get in the way of anything!"_

_"Yes, he will. I'm saying this because I know how in love with him you are. I don't want to lose our greatest mind."_

Troy jumped back, heart racing. Had he really heard what he thought he heard? Had Gabriella Montez, the love of his life, best friend, just admitted that she was in love with him as well?! Suddenly, the door in front of him opened, before he could move. Out walked a teary Gabriella, and a comforting Taylor, with an arm slung around her best friend's shoulders. Gabriella looked up. Troy looked deep into her eyes. He saw confusion, some anger, and somethifng else. Was that...love?

"T-Troy...what are you..." Gabriella stuttered.

"Um, I'll leave you two alone," Taylor smirked as she quickly slunk away without a protest from the duo.

"Um...I..." Troy stuttered. Gabriella smiled softly at him and hugged him tightly around his torso. He was so warm. The feeling of his body next to hers always felt good.She looked up at him after a minute of holding each other.

"Just for the record, I love you too," Troy said as he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. It was a soft kiss; thye poured their anger, passion, and love into that kiss. Gabriella moved her arms and they snaked around his neck, in an attempt to pull his face closer than it already was. The couple pulled away and hugged each other tightly. Gabriella's head resting on Troy's rock hard chest, and Troy burying his face in Gabriella's curly brown locks; inhaling the sweet scent of her mango shampoo.

"Gabs?"

"Hmm?"

"Will you be my girlfriend?"

Gabriella looked up and smiled softly at the boy in front of her. "Uh huh, of course," with that, she leaned up and kissed him tenderly on the lips once again.

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**Oooh, yay! They kissed and are dating!! I wasn't too happy with that fight scene. Ooh! I gotta question for YOU! How do you think that Taylor will take the news of Troy and Gabriella dating? And what about Chaylor? Troy and our Gabster still have no idea.**

**R&R please.**

**Many x's and even more o's,**

**Gabbei**


	5. 4: Nerves

**I'M SO SORRY!! I'm sooo sorry for not updating this story for a long time, it's just that I was getting bored with it and had so many different ideas!! **

**For those of you who've been reading _Love Me or Hate Me, _I'll try to update soon, and I'm working on the chapter. Then next one's pretty challenging to write because of all of the feeling I have to put into it.**

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"Really, Shar, how do you know he'll ask me to homecoming?" Gabriella asked, with a frown. The girls were sitting at a table in the food court, finishing off their salads.

"Because, Gabi, it's so obvious. You guys are going out, he's bound to ask you," Sharpay replies, taking a sip of her diet Coke.

"I guess," Gabriella replied, playing with the straw of the drink. Gabriella and Troy had just started going out on Friday, and Gabi still haden't broken the enws to her best friend who thought she was the jerk of the moment; not caring about the Scholastic Decathalon.

"Want me to tell you how Zeke asked me?" Sharpay asked, giddily. Gabriella rolled her eyes.

"You already told me a million times, Shar," she replied.

"I don't care, I like saying it," she smiled brightly, "okay, so we were at a basketball game, and he told me to look at the screen. So I looked, and there were the words..."

"Shar, will you go to homecoming with me?" we say together. Sharpay looks at me angrily.

"Hey, Why'd ya have to spoil it?" Sharpay asks, crossing her arms.

"I'm sorry, Shar, it's just getting a little old," Gabriella said, poking at the limp lettuce in her salad bowl, "and I'm just getting nervous that I won't be going with Troy, I mean, it's in two weeks, and he still hasn't asked me."

Sharpay placed a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder,"he'll ask you, I know it."

--

Troy threw the ball against the backboard in utter frustration, and buried his face in his hands.

"Dude, what is up with you?" Chad asked, walking over to his friend.

"I don't know, I just keep getting this weird feeling that something's wrong, I mean with Gabriella and me," Troy said, taking a chug of water from the Poland Spring bottle beside him.

"Well, okay, you just need to figure out what you're not doing," Chad said, sitting next to his friend.

"Alright, shoot."

"Okay, do you kiss her when she wants you to?"

"Yes."

"Do you say nice things to her?"

"Yes."

"Do you tell her she looks nice?"

"Yes."

"Do you have sex with her when she wants?"

"CHAD! We've been dating for a week!"

"Sorry. Do you offer to pay for dates?"

"Yes, and I always do."

"Hm, let's see. Ah, have you asked her to homecoming?"

"H-Homecoming?" Troy's face went pale at the comment.

"Did you?"

"No," Troy replied, finally finding the source of his problems.He jumped up and sped off of the court, grabbing his gym bag and water as he sped to his car.

--

"Troy?" Anna said as she opened the door to her home.

"Hey Mrs. M, is Gabi home? It's kind of important," a huffing and puffing Troy said.

"Yeah, she's up in her room," Anna said, stepping away from the doorway, expecting Troy to bolt through the doorway.

"Thanks," he said, running off the porch.

"Troy!" Anna called after him, "what are you doing?"

"I'm..." Troy began.

"Using the balcony?" Anna asked, a knowing look on her face. Troy blushed, "oh, yes, Troy. I know all about it." He was about to say something, but the middle aged woman waved her hand, encouraging the teen to go. Troy nodded and bolted around to the side of the house, climbing up the tree. He shimmied out on the branch and hopped onto his girlfriend's balcony. He stood against the house, out of sight, and peeked in through the elegant french doors. The brunette had her iPod plugged into her ears, her soft curls flying all over the place as she danced to the music flowing through her ears. Troy strained to hear the voice coming from inside.

_We're runnin' with the shadows of the night,  
So baby take my hand it'll be alright,  
Surrender all your dreams to me tonight,  
They'll come true in the end._

She paused a moment to press a button on the royal blue device clipped onto her pink Soffes, and began singing again.

_I probably shouldn't say this,  
but at times I get so scared,  
When I think about the previous relationship we shared,  
It was awesome but we lost it,  
It's not possible for me not to care,  
_

Troy watched as his girlfriend's face began to fall as she sang the words. She sat down on her bed and continued singing.

_And now we're standing in the rain,  
and nothin's ever gonna change,  
until you hear, my dear._

As she sang the lyrics, Troy looked to the sky as a single raindrop fell and and hit his cheek. "Ironic," he mumbled.

_Compared to all the great things,  
That would take too long to write,  
I probably should mention the 7 that I like..._

She smiled to herself as she opened the French doors, revealing her very nervous boyfriend standing up against the house. She smiled at him and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head in his chest. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, relaxing into her touch.

_The seven things I like about you,  
Your hair, your eyes, your old Levis,  
When we kiss I'm hypnotized,  
You make me laugh, you make me cry,  
But I guess that's both, I'll have to buy,  
Your hands in mine when we're intertwined,  
Everything's alright,  
I wanna be with the one I know,_

_And the seventh thing, I like the most that you do,  
You make me love you,  
You do, oh._

He smiled down at her as she finished the last note.

"How'd you know they're Levi's?" he asked softly as they leaned in, their lips meeting in a sweet, loving kiss. They pulled away due to lack of oxygen, looking deeply into each others' eyes.

"When'd you figure out I was here?" he asked, smiling down at her. She shrugged.

"I don't know if it was the loud thump I heard when you got out of the tree, or the fact that I was staring right at you when you landed," she giggled, kissing his nose.

"I have a question for, my dear," he said. Gabriella's heart sped up at his comment.

"Mhmm?" she asked, turning in his arms.

"Will you do me the honor of coming with me to the homecoming dance?" Troy asked, his own heart speeding up with nervousness.

"Of course I will," she said softly, kissing him on the nose again.


	6. 5: Shopping

**Here's the next chapter!!**

**Dedicated to: **SaltyPretzels.14

* * *

"I don't know if I like this one that much, what do you guys think?" Sharpay asked, turning around in the form-fitting magenta v-neck dress.

"Hm, maybe not that on, it's a little dark," Taylor said, looking to Gabriella. Gabriella nodded.

"Yeah, I think you should go with a powder pink, Shar," Taylor said, nodding. She got up, and rummaged through the tall racks of dresses covered with a plastic cover. She gasped loudly, her hand on a hanger.

"What?" Gabriella asked, hurrying over to where Taylor stood. She help a strapless, dark purple floor length dress, that was fitted tightly at the top, and puffed out greatly at the bottom.

"Oh my God, Tay, that would look beautiful on you!" Gabriella squealed. She pushed Taylor int a fitting room, insisting on her trying it on. Gabriella stood, also rummaging through the racks of dresses.

"Excuse me, miss, can I help you with anything?" a woman in a pinstriped pantsuit asked, walking over. Gabriella smiled warmly at the middle aged woman.

"Actually, yes. I'm looking for a rack with size fives," Gabriella said. The woman eyed her up and down, shaking her head.

"Uh, uh, you'll definitely take something bigger than a five," she said, leading her over to a rack of tens.

"Excuse me?" Gabriella said, a little shocked.

"Well, you couldn't possibly fit into a size five," the woman said matter-of-factly. Gabriella was about to retort, but the woman pulled out a ghastly, puke-green dress, and held it up to the annoyed teen.

"This'll look lovely one you, and it'll definately slim you down," the woman said.

"Excuse me? That dress could fit all of my friends into it, with some room to spare," Gabriella said, getting more annoyed by the second, "I think I'll manage on my own, now, thank you very much," Gabriella said, walking back over to a rack near the dressing rooms with a scowl.

"I think I'm gonna ask an attendant for help finding a lighter shade," Sharpay said, walking out of the dressing room with the dark pink dress in her hands.

"Don't," Gabriella warned. Sharpay raised an eyebrow.

"Why?"

"Don't ask," Gabriella replied. Her eyes widened as she came across 'the dress.' She pulled it off the rack excitedly and hurried into the dressing room to try it on.

"Gabi? Did you find one?" Kelsi asked from outside the door.

"Yes! And I'm absolutely in love with it!" Gabriella said, changing into the dress. She opened the door, and walked out. Her friends stared at her in awe. She wore a simple, cream colored strapless knee length dress, with a black bow at the waist, tying in the back, and an array of embroidered black flowers scattered across the front. She spun around for effect and smiled brightly.

"Gabi, you glow in that dress!" Sharpay squealed, clapping her hands.

"Yeah, you look awesome," Taylor said genuinely.

"Troy is gonna drop dead when he sees you," Kelsi said. Sharpay and Gabriella shot her death glares as Taylor cocked her head to the side.

"You're going with Troy?" she asked.

"Um, yeah, we're kinda going out now..." Gabriella said, nervous about her friend's reaction. Taylor looked like she was gonna scream, but walked over and started jumping up and down.

"Ooh, finally!" she squealed. Gabriella and Sharpay exchanged mystified looks.

"But I thought..."

"Well, I thought about it, and since you love him so much, then I think I can live with it," Taylor said. Gabriella smiled, and suddenly noticed the lavender dress Taylor wore. She looked down at it, the sleek fabric hugging her curves perfectly.

"Oh my God, Tay, you look amazing!" Gabriella said.

"Yeah, Chad is gonna drop dead when he sees you," Kelsi said with a giggle. We all rolled her eyes.

"Hold on, be right back," Sharpay said, carrying a light pink dress into the dressing room.

"Kelsi, what color do you want?" Taylor asked, while waiting for Sharpay to change.

"I don't know, I was thinking red," she said, shrugging.

"Totally, red would look awesome on you," Gabriella said. The three girls looked through the racks of dresses until Taylor pulled out a short, strapless, satin dress, with a bubble skirt and a large, rhinestone clip on the side.

"Oh my God, that would look awesome!!" Gabriella exclaimed. Kelsi looked unsure.

"I don't know if I could fill out that dress," Kelsi motioned to her boob area. Taylor rolled her eyes.

"Just try it on," she said, pushing Kelsi into the open fitting room. As Kelsi walked into a room, Sharpay walked out, looking radiant in a light pink, ball gown, with flowing tulle that reached the floor. The torso of the dress pushed up her boobs perfectly, making her look sexy and sophisticated at the same time. The torso area was also adorned with heaps of glitter.

"I love this one," Sharpay said, looking in the mirror.

"Me-" Gabriella was interrupted by her phone ringing. She smiled, "yes, baby?"

"Hey, did you get a dress yet?" Troy asked from the other line.

"Yeah, I picked one, why?" Gabriella asked with a confused grin.

"Well, we're at the tux place, and I kind of need to know what color tie to get," Troy said. Gabriella giggled.

"Alright, well, get a cream colored one, tell Chad to get a purple one, Jason to get a red one, and Zeke to get, um, a pink one," she giggled a little at the last one.

"Yeah, Zeke already got a pink, expecting for Sharpay's dress to be pink," Troy chuckled.

"Alright, bye, babes, I love you," Gabriella gushed into the phone.

"I love you too, baby," Troy replied.

"Kelsi, that looks wonderful on you!" Sharpay gushed in her pink dress. Kelsi looked like a whole different person with her dress on. The bright red color brought out her auburn hair, and the length was perfect, falling just in the middle of her thighs.

"Really?" Kelsi said, with a bright smile, gazing at herself in the mirror. Gabriella couldn't help but smile at her friend's behavior, fore something was overflowing from her that wasn't usually there. Confidence.

"Jason is gonna drop dead when he sees me!" she giggled. The girls laughed, and joined her in front of the mirror lining the wall.

They clasped hands, smiles plastered upon all of their faces, "just think, girls, this time three days from now, we'll be at the dance, having the times of our lives!" Sharpay said, smiling proudly.

The teenage girls changed into their street clothes, paid for their dresses and silver stilettos, and met outside the store. They walked through the mall, occasionally waving to a fellow East High student. They kept walking until they approached the tux shop. The four girls looked over and saw the boys all with bags in their hands, laughing about something. They decided to not notice them, and just walk by. As they walked, the boys stopped talking, and followed them up the mall.

"Hey, Shar, don't you have the feeling that someone is following us?" Gabriella said, loud enough for the boys to hear. They heard snickering behind them and coninued on with their little game.

"Yeah, it'd be a shame if there was, because then we'd have to do this," Sharpay said, as she bolted up the mall, the rest of the girls following. Kelsi looked back, only to see the boys following them.

"Hey! Stop!" Gabriella said, stopping in her tracks. She called her friends over, and they stood in front of a Victoria's Secret.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Taylor asked. Gabriella nodded. They girls walked into Victoria's Secret, only to leave the boys standing outside the store in defeat.

"But seriously, I kind of want to get something here," Gabriella said with a small blush. Sharpay's eyes widened.

"What the hell? You and Troy have only been going out for like, a week!" Sharpay said loudly.

"I know, I know, but we've been best friends for so long, and know each other so well...I just...I just wanna be prepared," Gabriella said. Sharpay tapped her chin.

"You know, now that you think of it, I could use some sexy lingerie also," she looked to Taylor and Kelsi.

"Why not?" Taylor said, shrugging.

"I guess, but I don't know if they'll get used," Kelsi said, following the girls farther into the store. Gabriella rummaged through the racks of bra and panty sets, until she came to set of a light pink strapless bra with lace trim, and matching boy short panties. She carried them to the changing room, and tried them on. They fit perfectly, so she decided to buy them.

"Oh my God, Gabi!" Taylor exclaimed, holding a small bottle.

"What's that?" Gabriella asked, curious.

"It's VS's Seductive line (made up)!" Taylor exclaimed.

"And...?"

"Well, I think we should buy some!" Taylor said, reading the back, "listen to this 'one spray of this seductive aroma, and you'll be in for some fun all night long,'" she said. Gabriella picked up a bottle.

"Hmm, Vanilla, Cherry, or Lavender?" she tapped her chin lightly.

"I think I'll get cherry," Taylor said, picking up a bottle with a red seal.

"I think I'm gonna get vanilla," Gabriella said, picking up a bottle with a white seal. They payed for the lingerie/perfume, and walked out of the store, only to find the boys sitting against the wall outside the store.

"How long have you guys been sitting there?" Sharpay asked, raising an eyebrow. They stood up.

"Since you went in," Troy said, walking to his girlfriend and wrapping his arms around her waist and nuzzling his face into her neck.

"Have fun, baby?" he asked, placing tender kisses along her neckline.

"Mhmm," she muttered. He lifted his head slightly, as his eyes fell on the pink striped Victoria's Secret bag. He pulled away, attempting to pull the bag away from her.

"Hmm, what do we have here?" he asked, reaching for the bag. She snatched it away.

"No, not now," she scolded quietly, pointing a finger.

"Fine, I'll wait," he said, nuzzling himself into Gabriella's neck once again, only to be pushed away playfully.

"Come on, baby, let's get home," Gabriella said, waving to her friends, and walking off hand in hand with her favorite person in the world, confident that she was ready to knock his socks off for the homecoming dance, and homecoming night.

* * *

**Sorry it's so long, but I wanted the whole shopping thing in one chapter.**

**xxx**

**BEST REVIEWER GETS A DEDICATION!!**


	7. 6: Strawberry

**A bunch of you sent really long reviews for the last chapter, and it was really hard to choose. So, I've picked one review that I enjoyed the most:**

**DEDICATED TO: **crazyinluv305 - FOR HER COMPLETE 'LOVE' OF MY STORIES!! :)

* * *

Gabriella walked through the door of her house, placing her car keys on the side table. She put her purse on the counter and pulled out a bottle of cream soda from the refrigerator.

"Ma?" she called. No response. She shrugged and popped open the glass bottle. All afternoon, she had been out shopping for jewelry and accessories with the girls, until Sharpay decided they go tanning. They went, and all girls came out at least two shades darker, except for Taylor of course, who had gotten a foot massage while she waited.

_You leave me speechless, when you talk to me,  
And you leave me breathless, the way you look at me,  
You've managed to disarm me,  
My soul is shining through,  
I can't help but surrender,  
My everything to you._

Gabriella flipped open her pink Razr, already aware of who was on the other line, "Hello?"

"Hi, Gabi," Troy said, a smile evident in his voice.

"Hi," Gabriella replied, twirling her hair around her finger, "what's up?"

"Wanna go to the beach?" Troy asked. Gabriella smiled at his eagerness.

"I don't know, let me check my schedule," she paused, pretending to look through her daily planner, "I think I can pencil you in sometime," she giggled.

"Alright, how about I pick you up in about an hour?" he asked, with a chuckle.

"Okay, that'd be good," Gabriella said, smiling.

"Okay, love you," he said.

"I love you too," she replied, closing her phone. She finished off her soda and hurried upstairs to change. She opened her drawer and pulled out her white string bikini, khaki short shorts, and her white Juicy tank. She stripped off her shorts and pulled on her bikini bottoms, along with her shorts, and pulled off her tank top, and her bra, when she heard a knock on her balcony door. She yelped and covered her chest with her shirt. Slowly turning to the door, she saw her blushing boyfriend standing outside of the door. She held up one finger and called, "one second," he nodded, and she hurried into the adjoining bathroom and quickly changed into her bathing suit top and slipped on the tank top.

She walked out of the bathroom and opened the french door. She cocked her head to the side and crossed her arms across her chest, a small smile playing at her lips.

"Haha, s-sorry," Troy said, blushing and walking into her room.

"Heh, it's alright, but have you ever heard of a door, and a doorbell?" she asked, wrapping her arms around him in a hug.

"Sorry, it's funner when you climb up the tree to the balcony," he said, placing a kiss in her hair.

"Funner?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Uh, more fun?" he corrected, smiling.

She giggled, "anyway, I thought you weren't coming for another," she glanced at the clock, "forty-five minute." He shrugged.

"I couldn't wait to see my gorgeous girlfriend," he replied with a straight face. She laughed and led him down the stairs to the kitchen.

"Alright, then I guess we can get going," she said, walking out the front door. He nodded and followed her out to his car. He hurried over to the passengers' side and opened the door for her. She smiled at him and sat down. He smiled back and ran around the front car and got in. He started the ignition and drove out of the driveway.

"So, what's your dress look like?" he asked curiously, once on the road. She shrugged.

"Oh, well, it's a dress," she said, trying to hide her giggles. He looked over at her.

"Really? I would've never have guessed!" he said, sarcastically.

"Hey, maybe I want to surprise you," she said, smiling. He rolled his eyes and pulled into the beach parking lot. He opened the door for his girlfriend and helped her out. They walked hand in hand over to the sand where they slipped off their flip flops and walked down to the water. She dipped her toes into the salty water, and flinched.

"Oh my God, it's cold!" she said, stepping back. He laughed, and took her hand and intertwined them as they walked down the beach.

"So, you excited for homecoming?" Troy asked.

"Yes! I'm sooo excited," she said happily, "the girls and I went tanning today, and went shopping for jewelry."

"Hm, I thought you looked a little darker," he said, looking her up and down with a smile on his face. They walked a little farther until they came to a group of kiosks along the rocks.

"Ooh, Troy can we get some ice cream?" Gabriella asked excitedly.

"Sure, what kind do you want?" he asked. She looked at the menu for a moment, then made up her mind.

"I think I want coconut," she said, "in a cone." He nodded, and turned to the person behind the counter.

"A small coconut in a cone, and a small mocha chip in a cone," he said. The person nodded and rang up the register.

"That'd be seven dollars," she said. Gabriella reached for her wallet in her back pocket, but Troy paid before she could take out her money. He handed her her ice cream as she began to lick the white substance atop the waffle cone.

"I could've paid, you know," she said between licks. He shook his head.

"No, it's fine, I don't mind paying for you," he said, intertwining their fingers once again.

"Troy!" came a voice from behind them. Troy cringed and turned around to see a peppy blonde walking towards them, with a pink ice cream cone in her hand.

"Hi, Troy," she said, walking up to the pair, completely ignoring Gabriella.

"Uh, hi, and you are..." he said, backing away from the girl who was coming dangerously close to the blue eyed boy.

"Oh, Troy, you know who I am, you know exactly who I am," she said, softly, running a finger down his toned chest. He reached for he wrist and removed it from his body.

"No, I have no idea who you are, and if you'll excuse me, I'd like to get on with my _date _with my _girlfriend_," he said, leading Gabi away from the girl.

"But Troy!" she said, catching up to them, "I'm Stassi Sturbridge," she said, as the pair turned around in annoyance. Gabriella clenched and unclenched her fists, and bit her lip hard to keep from sticking her ice cream on Stassi's head.

"Your Stassi Sturbridge?" Gabriella asked in awe. Troy looked at her sideways, but she shot him a 'I-can-handle-this-it'll-be-funny' look.

Stassi flipped her blonde hair to the side, "yes, who wants to know?"

Gabriella stuck out her hand, "Gabriella Montez, I'm on the decathlon team," she shook hands with Stassi, "I just can't believe I'm meeting the biggest slut in Albuquerque," she said the last part with heavy sarcasm and a fake smile. Troy began laughing hysterically, as Stassi gasped, and put her hand over her heart.

"How dare you?! Troy, do something!" Stassi said, stomping her foot. Troy shook his head, no.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did I offend you? I thought you wanted people to know that you've slept with three quarters of the guys in the state!" Gabriella said, trying to keep a straight face.

"That is not true!" Stassi said, her face turning red with anger, which only made Troy laugh harder.

"Oh sorry, I thought we were counting the sixty year olds," Gabriella said, laughing. At this point, Troy was on the ground howling with laughter.

"You know what Annabella Ramirez? You're gonna pay for that," Stassi said with glaring eyes. Gabriella looked around.

"Oh? You were talking to me? I wouldn't know, considering my name's Gabriella Montez and not Annabella Ramirez," Gabriella said, placing her hands on her hips. Stassi gasped again, and started walking away, but stopped and turned around. She looked from Gabriella to her ice cream, and vice versa. She smiled evilly and planted the cold substance with the cone right in the middle of Gabriella's chest. She took her hand and smeared it around, and smiled fakely. Troy stood up and was about to say something to Stassi, but Gabriella held up her hand.

"That's how you make me pay?" she asked, rolling her eyes.

"Oh, there's more where that came from, nerd," Stassi said, cracking her knuckles. She turned and started walking away.

"I'd screw you now, but I have a manicure appointment, and I don't want to make my nails looks more hideous than they already do," Stassi called over her shoulder, flouncing away. Troy walked over to Gabriella and pried the cone off of her chest. He threw the cone on the ground, and stuck his finger in the melted ice cream on his girlfriend's chest.

"Mm, strawberry."

* * *

**Well I thought that was funny. And you can tell I watch The N, because of my name choice. Yes, Stassi is the name of one of the girls on Queen Bees, which is actually an awesome show.**

**BEST REVIEWER GET A DEDICATION!!**

**xxx**


	8. 7: Ready

**Wow, this is the second chapter I've started today!! :) Aren't you proud?? HEHE!!**

**Dedicated to: **ncy555 - Apparently, I rocked her world!! :P Thanks girlie!!

* * *

"Oh my God, Kels," Sharpay gushed to her friend, "you look absolutely amazing!" Kelsi smiled at her friend as she spun around in front of the full length mirror at Sharpay's house. She wore her fitted satin red dress with a simple silver chain around her neck with a heart pendant, and her silver stilettos. Her medium length auburn hair was in a wavy, side ponytail, held with an elastic with a large rhinestone.

"Yeah, Kels, you really do," Taylor said genuinely, "how do I look?" she spun around and struck a pose. Her lavender, strapless dress fell completely to the floor, and the dress was fitted snugly to her chest. She wore a gold necklace around her neck, and two gold bangles on her left wrist. Her hair was loosely curled, and in a low back ponytail, her bangs falling across her face.

"Tay, can you help me with this clasp?" Sharpay asked, walking over to her friend. Sharpay's dress had to be the most exquisite of he four. It was a pale pink color, strapless, and had about 10 layers of flowing, floor length tulle as a skirt. She wore the silver heels, and a silver charm bracelet, a gift from Zeke on her right wrist. Her hair was loosely straightened, and part of it pulled back into a half pony, and her eyes were dark with smoky eyeshadow.

Taylor clasped the bracelet around her friend's wrist, and looked to the bathroom door, "Gabi, come on out, I'm sure you look beautiful," Taylor said.

"No! I look terrible," came shakey voice from the bathroom. The girls looked at each other sympathetically, and Sharpay walked to the door and knocked slowly.

"Gabi? Please come out, I bet you look amazing," Sharpay said to the door. A muffled 'fine' came, and the white door opened. Out walked a nervous Gabriella, looking spectacular in her knee-length ivory dress, with a large black bow, and black flower embroidered across the dress. On her ears, she wore small, silver hoop earrings, and a diamond bracelet around her wrist. Her hair was loosely curled, and parted on the side, gathered on the side. Her makeup was completely natural, and her lips were glossed in a light pink color. The girls stared at her friend in shock.

"Is it that bad? I knew it!" she turned to walk back to the bathroom, when Sharpay grabbed her arm.

"No Gab, you look amazing!" Sharpay managed to choke out. Gabriella smiled a little and looked down at her feet.

"Yeah, Troy is gonna be speechless when he sees you," Kelsi said. Just the thought of her boyfriend made Gabriella's face light up with joy. She joined her friends in front of the wall mirror and smiled brightly.

"I can't believe-" Sharpay began, but was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Sharpay? Sweetie, can I come in?" Sheila Evans called. Sharpay opened the door, and her mother smiled brightly at the girls.

"Wow, you look amazing, sweetheart, you too Taylor," she said, glancing between the girls, "and Kelsi, you look like a whole new woman!" Kelsi blushed, and nodded in thanks.

"Mom, just look at Gabriella!" Sharpay exclaimed. Sheila turned to look at Gabriella and smiled, "Gabi, honey, you look just spectacular."

"Thank you, Mrs. Evans," Gabriella replied quietly, with a huge blush.

"Please, dear, call me Sheila," the woman said, running her fingers through her daughter's blonde hair.

"Mom, stop, you'll mess it up," Sharpay said in an annoyed tone, swatting her mother's hand away.

"Girls, your dates are here," Bronson Evans said from the doorway. He walked into the room and kissed Sharpay's forehead.

"You look beautiful, peach," he said, "all of you girls do." The girls smiled back and walked through the hallway, coming to the corridor right before the stairs.

"Okay, I go down first, then Taylor, then Kelsi, then Gabriella," Sharpay said, pointing to the girls in turn, "and Mom will introduce us."

"Did you like stay up all night planning this or something?" Taylor asked. Sharpay shrugged.

"Yes, I figured it'd be the most efficient way," she said.

"Okay," Sheila said from the bottom of the stairs, "first we have the- yes, Troy, she looks beautiful - first we have the amazing Sharpay Evans!" Sheila exclaimed. Kelsi gave Sharpay a thumbs up as she started her strut down the corridor and down the stairs. The boys and parents clapped loudly, as Sharpay walked down the stairs confidently, and over to her boyfriend who's jaw was practically on the floor.

"And now, the beautiful Taylor McKessie, Chad! You're girlfriend is coming down now!" Sheila said, slapping Chad on the arm. Taylor smiled excitedly as she walked down the corridor and down the stairs. The crowd clapped once again.

Gabriella rocked back and forth on her heels in nervousness. Kelsi noticed, and rubbed her back in reassurance. "You look awesome," she whispered.

"And now, Kelsi Neilson!" Kelsi smiled as she walked down the corridor and down the stairs toward the clapping crowd. Gabriella could faintly hear the smacking sound of Sharpay and Zeke kissing, and the faint voice of her boyfriend asking 'where's Gabi?'

"And last, but certainly not least, the amazing, Gabr- stop jumping up and down, Troy! - The amazing, Gabriella Montez!" Sheila exclaimed, happily. Gabriella took a deep breath, and slowly walked down the corridor, and turned the corner and walked down the stairs. She looked down at her feet, concentrating on not throwing up from nervousness, and heard the clapping begin. She couldn't help but look up and smile at the look on her boyfriend's face. His mouth was completely open, and his hands were at his sides. She giggled a little when Sharpay slapped him on the arm, and he began to clap slowly, a smile gowing on his face. Once she reached the bottom of the stairs, she hurried over to her boyfriend, and hugged him tightly.

"You look beautiful, baby," he whispered in her ear. She looked up and smiled.

"Thank you," she replied. She kissed him sfotly on the lips. He pulled away and opened his jacket. He reached in the pocket and pulled out a small, velvet, dark blue box.

"I got you something," he said. He opened the box and pulled out a silver chain with a script 'G' pendant. She gasped as he walked around to the other side of her, and placed the necklace around her neck, and clasped it for her, both of them completely oblivious to the fact that the whole goup was watching them with dreamy looks on their faces. She turned around as they both leaned in to kiss, but someone cleared their throat.

"Ahem," Chad said, as Taylor slapped him on the arm.

"Ugh, Chad," Troy mumbled pulling away from his girlfriend with a blush.

"Why do you always do that?" Taylor asked her boyfriend, "it's always you who interrupts their cute moments!"

"I'm sorry, but I'd rather not see them having-"

"OKAY!" Sheila said, interrupting Chad's sentence of which she really didn't want to hear, "your limo is outside, waiting for you," she said, hurrying them out the door. The group walked out the door and got in the limo. Gabriella sat down on one of the side seats next to Troy on her right, and Zeke on her left. Troy wrapped his amr around her shoulders and hugged her close.

"Did I mention you look amazing tonight?" he whispered into her hair. She giggled as he placed a kiss in her mango smelling hair and rested his chin on her head.

"Gabi, are you staying over my house tonight?" Kelsi asked Gabriella. Sharpay reached over and flicked Kelsi on the side of the head.

"No," she mouthed.

"Um..." Gabriella began, trying to think of a relevant excuse.

"I think she's staying over my house, right?" Troy asked, looking down at his girlfriend.

"Yup," Gabriella said a little too excitedly. She rested her head on Troy's shoulder as the limo continued on to the pier restaurant where the dance was being held.

"We're here!" Sharpay exclaimed excitedly as she opened the door and jumped out the door, pulling Zeke behind her.

"Wow, it's so nice here," Gabriella said, as they walked to the entrance to the 'Pier Lights' restaurant and function hall, ready for a night they'd never forget.

* * *

**Okay, I'm really sorry if that dragged on, but I really wanted to tell about Troy giving Gabriella the necklace and them getting ready and such. I promise it'll pick up from here, though. I honestly thought that it'd go faster, but I guess not. HEHE!!**

**BEST REVIEWER GETS A DIDICATION!!**


	9. 8: Dance

**Sorry for the long wait, I really am. But anyway, here's the next chappie!**

**Dedicated to: **XXXdeathbychocolateXXX - I love when people compliment my chapters! Thanks!

* * *

"Oooh, I love this song!" Sharpay exclaimed, as she pulled the girls onto the dance floor as Danity Kane's 'Damaged' blared through the speakers. The girls linked hands in a circle and bounced to the beat of the music around them. Meanwhile, as the girls danced, the boys sat at their claimed table, watching their girlfriends.

"I think Gabi's avoiding me," Troy said to Chad over the music. Chad looked at him weirdly.

"Why do you say that?" he asked curiously. Troy just shrugged.

"I don't know, its just, we haven't danced together at all yet," Troy said, crossing his arms across his chest and sinking lower and lower into his seat. Chad gasped.

"At all?" he asked, surprised, "I thought you danced together before to that Lil Wayne song!" Troy only sunk lower and shook his head.

"No. We were going to, but then she said something about needing to tell Sharpay something, and they went away to the bathroom," he said, sadly. Chad frowned.

"I'll talk to her," he said. Before Troy could respond, Chad was already pulling Gabriella aside to talk to her.

"What's up?" she asked, out of breath. Chad crossed his arms.

"Are you avoiding Troy?" Chad came right out and said it. Gabriella sighed and covered her face with her hands. She nodded slowly.

"Why?" Chad asked. Gabriella sighed again, and leaned against the wall. "Why haven't you guys danced together at all?"

"Chad, you probably don't know this, but Troy's my first boyfriend," Gabriella admitted quietly.

"So? What's that got to do with anything?" Chad asked, still confused.

"Which means I haven't really danced with a guy before," she said. To her surprise, this conversation wasn't awkward at all for some reason. Probably because Gabriella already thought of Chad as a big brother.

"What do you mean? Everyone's danced with someone before!" Chad exclaimed. Gabriella shook her head.

"No, I mean I've never _danced _with a guy before," she said as she stuck her backside out and bounced up and down. Chad's mouth formed into an 'o' shape. He nodded.

"Why don't I leave the grinding lessons to the girls..." he said. The conversation was suddenly getting awkward. Gabriella blushed and nodded as Chad called over the girls.

"She's all yours," he said to them. The girls looked confused.

"What's up?" Taylor asked, still bouncing to the beat. Gabriella looked down and examined her shoes.

"I wanna dance with Troy," she said in a quiet voice. The girls exchanged glances, still confused.

"Then do it," Sharpay said. Gabriella shook her head.

"But I don't know _how,_" she said, repeating her actions on sticking her backside out.

"Ooooh, that kind of dancing," Taylor said, nodding slowly.

"It's easy," Sharpay said, grinding the wall. Gabriella covered her mouth to hold in her giggle.

"But...it seems hard, and what if he thinks I suck at it?" Gabriella asked nervously.

"He won't think you suck, your probably awesome at it," Kelsi reassured. Gabriella looked at her.

"Even Kelsi does it!" she groaned, throwing her hands in the air.

"Look, if your even hoping for sex tonight, then your gonna have to learn to do this," Taylor said, matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, I guess your right," Gabriella said, sighing, "so what do I do?"

"You just stick your butt on him and dance," Sharpay said, continuing to grind the wall. Taylor looked at her with a disgusted look on her face.

"Girl ,stop doing that before the wall charges you with rape," she said, shaking her head.

"Will you guys do it too? So I can watch you?" Gabriella asked, unsure. All three girls nodded excitedly.

They bounced over to their table where the boys were sitting, and each girl apart from Gabriella took their boyfriends to dance. Gabriella stared at her shoes as Troy looked up at her from his seat. The way he was sitting, and his hands stuffed into his pockets, aroused Gabriella for some reason, so she just went for it.

"Um, hey," she said, sitting down on his lap. He smiled and kissed her cheek.

"Hey," he replied. Gabriella held her left arm with her right as she took deep breaths. She had no idea why this was so hard, probably because of the fear of rejection, she decided.

"Um, wanna dance?" she asked quietly. Troy smiled and they stood up together. They walked out onto the dance floor as 'Lolli Lolli (Pop That Body)' bumped through the speakers, the base reverberating through the floor. Troy wrapped his arms around her waist securely, and Gabriella wrapped her arms around his neck. The moved to the music, instantly finding the beat and moving in sync with each other.

Troy leaned down and buried his face in her neck as they danced in perfect rhythm. Gabriella smiled at the adrenaline rush he was giving her with every move they made. He wasn't even sexually doing anything, but it gave her energy just being this close to each other. The song finally ended, and they pulled away, beads of sweat forming on their foreheads.

The group made their way through the crowd and back to their table. Gabriella sat down on Troy's lap and rested her head on the crook of his neck. He smiled and kissed her temple softly.

"Oh my God, did you hear that Kristy MacLean and Seth Bryars hooked up?" Sharpay asked. Taylor laughed.

"Leave it to Sharpay to come up with the latest gossip that no one cares about," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Wait, I thought she was with Brody Michael," Gabriella commented, sitting up.

"That's the juicy part. She's with both!" Sharpay said, sitting back into Zeke's chest. Kelsi laughed.

"Wow, what a slut!" the auburn haired girl said.

"Hey, Troy, do you have the time?" Jason asked from under Kelsi. Troy nodded.

"It is..." he said, flipping out his phone, "it is 10: 57." Jason nodded and went back to talking to Kelsi. Suddenly, the lights dimmed even more, and the spotlights lit up on the stage. Principal Matrui stood in the middle of the stage with a microphone and an envelope in his hand.

"Good Evening, East High," he said into the mic, "I hope your all having fun, tonight!" he said. The crowd cheered loudly. "Good, I'm glad. Now, it's time to announce the winners for homecoming queen and homecoming king," he said, as the cheering got louder. Principal Matsui laughed a little as the cheering subsided. "First off, I'd like to thank Sharpay Evans and the dance committee for putting this together," he said. Sharpay stood and waved and blew kisses over dramatically to the crowd. "And I'd also like to thank the folks at _Pier Lights _restaurant. And finally, the teachers at East High, let's give them most importantly a big round of applause. No one clapped. Mr. Matsui laughed nervously and continued talking.

"And now, the nominees for homecoming king," he said, opening the envelope, "Chad Danforth, Brody Michael, Shawn Jennings, and of course, Troy Bolton." The crown went wild at the sound of Troy's name, as Gabriella kissed his lips quickly before clapping herself.

"And the nominees for homecoming queen," he said, trying to quiet down the crowd, "Sharpay Evans, Kristy MacLean, Jessica Morton, and Gabriella Montez," he said. Gabriella cocked her head to the side in confusion. Who had nominated her? Most of the school considered her as the resident nerd.

"And now, the moment you've all been waiting for..." Mr. Matsui said, "the homecoming king is...Troy Bolton!" The crowd went wild as Troy reluctantly made his way to the stage. He shook Mr. Matsui's hand as he place the gold crown on the top of his head. He flashed his million dollar smile at Gabriella, as she smirked back. If only he knew how stupid he looked in that crown which probably was five bucks at Job Lot.

"And the homecoming queen is..." he paused for dramatic effect, "Gabriella Montez!" the hall was completely silent, except for the clapping and cheering of her friends and Troy. Gabriella blushed and walked up to the stage, keeping her eyes on the floor the whole way. Principal Matsui placed the tiara on her head and she smiled brightly at Troy, and looked out into the silent crowd before them.

"Nerd!" someone yelled from the audience. Gabriella frowned and pretended she didn't hear.

"How did that geek win over me?" someone else yelled. Troy tensed up and wrapped his arm around Gabriella's waist.

Then, the booing started. It started with only one person, but slowly, more and more people joined. It was a loud boo-fest with the occasional 'Montez sucks' thrown in. Gabriella felt tears prick her eyes as people threw her dirty looks and thumbs down. Troy looked around, anger building up inside him, until he couldn't take it anymore.

"EVERYBODY SHUT UP!" he bellowed, holding onto Gabriella tighter.

The crowd fell silent. "YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO BOO GABRIELLA. YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW HER!"

"But she's a geek!" someone yelled. Troy managed to calm himself down.

"She may be a geek," Troy said, looking down at her, "but she's my geek." He smiled and leaned in to kiss her full on the lips. The crowd gasped with surprise. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her to him, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. She smiled into the kiss as she heard her friends cheering. They pulled away and looked deeply into each others' eyes, then out to the audience.

"I give you, the homecoming king and queen of 2008!" Principal Matsui said, breaking the awkward silence. The crowd burst into cheers, most of them from Troy's adoring fans, but they didn't care. Gabriella and Troy smiled brightly and made their way off of the stage, Troy's arm still around his girlfriend's petite waist.

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**I though that was well written, I don't know about you. I thought it was cute. Anyway, Review. Please. I'll give you virtual cookies!**

**BEST REVIEWER GETS VIRTUAL COOKIES! (AND A DEDICATION!)**

**xoxo**


	10. 9: Loss

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Here's the next chap!

DEDICATED TO:

madmaz1994

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"Troy, that was amazing," Gabriella breathed. She was laying next to Troy Bolton, former best friend, current boyfriend, pressing her bare flesh against his.

"You were amazing, baby," Troy said, kissing her forehead. It was two 'o clock in the morning, and they had gotten in at around twelve thirty. They had immediately taken to the bed and made sweet love to each other for about an hour and a half. Gabriella had to admit, it was painful, but the pleasure had over ridden the pain.

"I'm glad my first time was with you," Gabriella said softly, placing a tender kiss on his bare chest.

"I'm glad mine was with you," Troy replied, stroking her hair. Gabriella looked around her room. Her canopy bed with purple sheets was slightly ruffled, the comforter on completely sideways and the sheets tangled around the sweaty bodies that lay there. The French doors to the balcony were wide open, a cool Albuquerque breeze rustling the curtains. A frame of Troy with Gabriella on his back sat on the white painted nightstand, along with a picture of her father.

Her father. Carlos Montez had died when she was thirteen years old, he had died from being rammed by a drunk driver while crossing the street. It had devestated the Montez family. But mostly Gabriella. Gabriella was always known as a 'daddy's girl' by the family, and she had shut herself in her room for two whole weeks, only coming out for school. It took Troy the whole two weeks to coax her out, and even then she wasn't the usual Gabriella.

Gabriella lifted her head slightly to see the peaceful, sleeping face of her boyfriend. She smiled and pressed her head to his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat. She closed her eyes and drifted into a sweet, deep sleep.

xoxo

"Oh my God, you did it?" Sharpay exclaimed over the phone. Gabriella was sitting curled up in her bed, _A Thousand Tomorrows _open in front of her.

"We did it!" Gabriella exclaimed, a huge smile gracing her face.

"Oh my God! How was it?!" Sharpay asked. Gabriella blushed and twirled her hair around her finger, a simple action she always did when she was embarrassed or nervous.

"Shar! I'm not going to give you the details," she said, shaking her head even though her anxious friend couldn't see. She paused. "But it was good," she said.

"Aw, Gabs, I'm so happy for you," Sharpay said sincerely.

"Thanks, Shar," Gabriella replied, suddenly becoming lost in her own little world.

"Well Shar, I gotta go now, I think Troy's here," Gabriella said, hearing faint voices down in the kitchen.

"Okay, Gab, see ya," Sharpay said before hanging up. Gabriella pressed the red 'end' button and tossing her phone in front of her. She pushed the covers off of her and bounced down stairs to see her mother and Troy talking in the kitchen.

"Hey, Troy Boy," Gabriella said, wrapping her arms around him from behind. Troy smiled at the feeling of his girlfriend pressed against him and turned and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Last night was amazing, baby," Troy whispered in her ear. Gabriella giggled when she felt Troy's lips connect with her neck. He didn't get much further, because of someone clearing their throat.

"Ahem, mom in the room," Anna said, waving her hand in the air. Gabriella and Troy jumped apart, blushing.

"Well, uh, I was just stopping by on my way home from running, but I should probably go now, my mom said she had something important to tell me," Troy said, heading for the door.

"Wait!" Gabriella said, running up behind him. She spun him around and kissed him softly on the lips. They pulled away.

"I'll call you later," Troy said, as he walked out the door to his house. Gabriella smiled and sat down on a bar stool at the counter. Anna smiled.

"You really like him, huh?" she asked to the dark haired teen.

"Yeah, mom. I love him," she said, a dazed look on her face. Anna smiled.

"I remember when I first fell in love with your father. We were at the pier, and he told me he loved me, and I said it back, and then we went home and..." she trailed off, a puzzled look on her face.

"You and Troy...you haven't..." she said, looking at her daughter.

"Haven't what?" Gabriella pried, silently praying she wasn't going to ask what she thought she was going to ask.

"You guys haven't had sex yet, have you?" she asked, raising her eyebrows. Gabriella squeezed her eyes shut and turned bright red, looking away.

"Well, um, actually..." Gabriella trailed off. Anna sighed.

"You...did use a condom...right?" she asked tentatively. Gabriella nodded her head vigorously.

"Yeah, yeah, of course," Gabriella replied.

"Was it...was it last night?" Anna asked, resting her chin in her hand.

"Well, yeah, how did you know?" Gabriella asked, cocking her head to the side, hoping the conversation would be over soon. Talking about having sex with your boyfriend wasn't exactly the most comfortable talk in the world.

"Well, I suspected it from the 'Oh my God, Troy! Harder, Faster!'" Anna mocked. Gabriella gasped and her jaw dropped.

"Mom! You heard that?!" Gabriella exclaimed, mortified.

"Yes, it just teaches you that you don't have sex when there are other people in the house; and apparently, you are a screamer," Anna said matter-of-factly.

"A screamer?" Gabriella asked, suddenly becoming even more uncomfortable with the situation.

"Yeah. You know, when you're doing it and you start screaming especially in the middle of an..." she said. Gabriella stuck her fingers in her ears and squeezed her eyes shut.

"LALALALA! I don't want to hear it!" she sang. Anna laughed and shook her head.

"No need to be embarrassed, mija, I was the exact same way," Anna said.

"Ma, as much as I'd like to hear about your sex life..." she was interrupted by her phone ringing. She sighed with relief and snatched it up, recognizing the ring tone.

"Hi Troy," she said, smiling. But her grin soon dropped when she heard her boyfriend on the other line.

"Brie, can you, um, come over?" Troy asked quietly, his voice shaking.

"Yeah, sure, what's wrong?" Gabriella asked, becoming concerned. She glanced at her mother, who also had a concerned look on her face.

"Um, just...I'll tell you when you get here," he said. Without another word, he hung up the phone. Gabriella hung up as well and scrambled over to the door, still in her pajamas.

"Gabi, sweetheart, what's wrong?" Anna asked, concerned.

"I don't know, Mom. Something happened with Troy and he wants me to come over, I'll be back in a while." With that, she scrambled out the door.

Within minutes she had arrived at Troy's large house. She hurried up the front steps and knocked on the door. Lucille Bolton opened it. Gabriella gasped at the sight of her boyfriend's mom. She was a mess. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying, and her hair was matted to her face, sticking to it because of the tears.

"Oh, hi, Gabi," she said, bringing a tissue up to her face.

"Hi, Lucille, Troy called me. What happened?" Gabriella asked quickly.

"Papa Troy died this morning," Lucille said, a fresh batch of tears streaming down her face. Gabriella's heart broke. Papa Troy was Lucille's mother, hence being Troy's grandfather. Troy and Papa were so close; Troy had always gone to him for advice, and he had always seemed like the healthiest old man Gabriella had ever met.

"Oh my God," Gabriella whispered, embracing Lucille tightly. "I'm so sorry," she whispered. Lucille pulled away and gave her a small smile.

"Thank you, sweetheart. Troy's in his room. You can go see him if you want," Gabriella nodded and walked into the Boltons' home. As she passed the T.V. room, she saw Troy's twin sister, Celeste snuggled up to her father, sobbing her brains out. Jack looked to Gabriella and smiled sadly. Gabriella smiled sympathetically at him and continued up the stairs. Finally reaching Troy's room, she knocked softly. She could hear Troy's iHome, blasting Simple Plan's 'Welcome to My Life,' through the speakers. The music stopped and a muffled 'come in' sounded from inside the room. Gabriella slowly opened the door.

Troy was sitting on his bed, his back to her, with his head in his hands. Gabriella made her way over to his bed, but didn't sit down.

"Hey," she said, from the other side of the bed. Troy turned around slowly, and Gabriella's heart broke once again. His eyes were also red and puffy, and it looked as if he'd tried to sustain the tears, being the seemingly tough guy that he was. Gabriella felt tears prick the back of her eyes at the sight of her boyfriend, but knew she had to stay strong. For him. She crawled across the bed and sat next to him.

"Papa Troy..." he began. Gabriella shook her head and embraced him tightly.

"It's okay, baby. You don't have to say it. I already know," Gabriella whispered as Troy buried his face in her hair, taking shaky breaths trying to sustain the sob that was forming in his throat. Gabriella rubbed her hand up and down his back slowly.

"It's okay, baby, let it out," Gabriella said, encouraging him to cry. He obliged and a sob erupted from his throat. Gabriella soon felt his hot, wet tears soaking through her t-shirt, but she didn't care. His arms snaked their way around her waist as she rocked him back and forth, whispering sweet nothings into his ear.

"He had a heart attack," he mumbled between his cries. Gabriella nodded and kissed his head, shifting their postition so that they were laying on the bed the right way, their head rested against Troy's green striped pillows. He pulled away and looked at her in the eyes, his hair sticking to his tearstained-face.

"Thanks for being here," he whispered, reaching over to his nightstand and picking up his handkerchief. He wiped his face free of tears, though it was still red.

"Hey, it wasn't a problem," she replied, hugging him around his waist once again. And for a little bit longer, they just laid there holding each other. Coping with the loss of a very important person in their lives.

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**I didn't like that ending very much. But wasn't it sad? I was trying to get across that Troy was afraid to cry, and seeing Gabi coaxed it out of him. Do you tihnk i did a good job? And i know it might not really be the best time to ask this, but do you think I'm funny? Like, the conversation between Gabi and her mom about the night before, did you think that was funny?**

**BEST REVIEWER GETS A DEDICATION.**

**xoxo**


	11. 10: Smile

**Sorry for not updating in such a long time, it's just that school just started and I'm trying to catch up on the curriculum since I just moved back to California. So I probs won't be updating for a pretty long time now, because I've got a lot of schoolwork. Thanks for understanding! Now, on with the chapter!**

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"Gabs?" Chad said into the phone, sounding worried and distraught.

"Yeah, Chad. What's up?" Gabriella asked, twirling her hair around her finger.

"I'm really worried about Troy," Chad said. Gabriella nodded, even though he couldn't see her. Ever since Papa Troy had died, Troy had locked himself in his room, only coming out to retrieve food from the kitchen and take it straight back upstairs.

"I know, so am I," Gabriella confessed. She really was worried about him. He hadn't come to school in at least a week, and he never answered his phone.

"Maybe we should take him out or something," Chad pondered, tapping his chin.

"I already tried that," Gabriella said sadly, thinking of her boyfriend. She'd gone up to his room, trying to coax him out, but all the response she'd gotten was a grunt.

"Then I don't know what to do, Gabs," Chad said, defeated. Gabriella sighed.

"I was just about to go over there. I'll see what I can do," Gabriella said.

"Alright, see ya," Chad said. Gabriella said her goodbyes and hung up her phone. She grabbed her hoodie and slipped it on, walking out the door and down the block to Troy's house. she knocked on the door, and it was flung open by Celeste. She smiled when she saw Gabi.

"Hey, Gabster," she said. She was wearing light washed jeans and a light blue t-shirt, and, as usual, her headphones were around her neck with her music blasting. Gabriella smiled warmly.

"Hey, Celly, how're you holding up?" Gabriella asked, as she walked into the Boltons' home. As usual, it smelled like warm cookies and lemon wood cleaner--Mrs. Bolton was kind of a neat-freak.

"Me? I'm better. Troy? I think he's getting worse," Celeste said sadly, sitting down on the couch in the den. Gabriella frowned, following her friend into the den.

"How so?" she asked worriedly.

"He hasn't come out of his room for the last two days. Not even for food. He doesn't put his music on anymore, and whenever you try and talk to him, all you get is a grunt," Celeste said sadly. Gabriella sighed and buried her face in her hands.

"I'm really sorry," she mumbled into her hands. Celeste raised an eyebrow.

"Why?"

"I don't know, I just haven't really been there for you guys. To tell you the truth, I'm kind avoiding it, because I know how much Troy is hurting. I went through it. With my dad and everything. My mom convinced me to come over, along with Chad, who I can tell hates seeing Troy in the state that he's in right now," Gabriella said, a single tear rolling down her face. She wiped it away quickly, but it didn't go unnoticed by her boyfriend's sister.

"Hey, don't cry. It's not your fault," she said, patting her friends back.

"Thanks, Cel. I guess I'll go upstairs and try and talk to Troy," Gabriella said, standing up from the couch. Celeste nodded as she watched Gabriella walk up the stairs. Gabi came to the last door in the hall, and knocked softly. A grunt was heard from inside.

"Troy, baby, it's Gabi. Please let me in," Gabriella called softly into the door. Another grunt. Gabriella huffed, and tried her luck at the doorknob; and was surprised to see that it wasn't locked. She opened the door and leaned against the door frame.

"You know, if oyu don't want..." she trailed off when she saw the state of her boyfriend's room. There were dirty clothes strewn all over the floor, and books and papers cluttered his desk and around the floor. His trash can was tipped over, and used tissues were scattered around all over the place. She looked over to his bed, and saw him laying on his back, looking the worst she'd ever seen him.

His hair was matted and greasy, and he looked like he hadn't shaved for days. His white t-shirt had a huge red stain on it, and his jeans were ripped and wrinkled. His feet were bare, and his eyes were glued to the ceiling, hands folded across his stomach. Gabriella made her way over to him and sat on the side of his bed.

"Hey," she said softly, placing her hand on his leg. He didn't move.

"I don't really want to talk right now," he said in a monotone voice, eyes still on the ceiling. Gabriella frowned. That was not the reaction she'd expected.

"Oh, well, okay. Call me if you need me," she said. She was about to stand up, but felt a hand on her wrist.

"I need you," he whispered, tears in his eyes. Gabriella gave a small nod and lay down on the bed next to him. She rested her head on his chest, careful not to put her head on the stain on his shirt, and wrapped her arms around his torso. He wrapped his arm around her back, and tangled his fingers in her hair. He buried his face in her dark curls, and breathed in the scent of her coconut shampoo.

"Tell me you love me," Troy said with a quivering voice. Gabriella raised her head and looked at him in confusion.

"I love you," she whispered. A small smile graced his lips. Probably the first smile from him in days.

"That's all I need to hear. I lvoe you, too," he whispered, burying his face back in her hair.

They lay there for a little bit longer. Only needing to be near each other to find comfort.

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**Aww, don't you feel so bad for Troy? But he's on the road to recovery, so don't you worry. He'll get better. Possibly. Just kidding. Or am I?**

**LOL.**

**xoxo**


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